As the magnitude of this weekend’s car wreck on Freeborn County Road 34 begins to sink in for local residents, the family and friends of those involved are mourning the loss of a loved one and the injuries of six others.

People who knew Kelly Jo Abrego, 25, of Myrtle, who died at St. Marys Hospital in Rochester from injuries received from the wreck, say she was a kind, loving mother of three.

“I watched her grow from a child to a loving mom,” said Kelli Dietrich, who had known Abrego for 12 years. “At no time have I ever seen her angry or say anything bad about a person. I always saw a smile on her face.”

Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office reports state the wreck took place after Charles Kenneth Dennison, 20, who was driving the vehicle south on the road, reportedly drove around “Road Closed” barricades placed on the road after a previous car wreck on June 12 that killed Dale Wangen of rural Albert Lea at the same washed out spot.

The vehicle, which carried six people, went into the washed out area, landed on top of a steel culvert and crashed into the south side portion of the washout. All six people in the truck were taken to the Austin Medical Center, then transferred to a Rochester hospital.

Officials are still investigating the incident and working to find out why Dennison might have driven around the barricades and whether the barricades were moved.

Then, a short time after the first incident, a second wreck took place when Alex Jay Kline, 21, of Lyle, went to the wreck site. He was responding as a first responder for the London Fire Department and was traveling north. Law enforcement reports said he was unable to see the washout and was too close to stop and slid into the washout area. He was listed as receiving minor injuries.

Over the last two days many family and friends have visited the site, leaving pictures, balloons and candles behind in memory of Abrego.

Family and friends also reportedly held a candlelight vigil at the scene the night after the wreck.

“Her kids were her world,” said Nikki Olsen, who went to school with Abrego. “That is all she could talk about.”

Winnie Goette, a distant relative of Abrego, said she has known Abrego for quite a few years and she has always been “a really bubbly and nice girl.”

Goette said Abrego has “the sweetest little girls, and I know that they are going to miss their mother very much. I think she will be missed by everyone a lot.”

The father of her children, longtime boyfriend Langdon Brooks Bachtle, 26, of Myrtle, was also in the vehicle at the time of the crash. He is listed in good condition.

Dennison, the driver of the vehicle, is also listed in good condition, passenger Nathan James Buchli of Albert Lea is in serious condition, passenger Kelly John Pechumer of Alden is in critical condition and passenger Broc Marc Dempewolf of Albert Lea is in fair condition, according to a Mayo Clinic spokeswoman Tuesday afternoon.

“We are very sad that we have lost such a loving, great, caring person,” said Dietrich and Alyssa Abrego. “She will be greatly missed.”

Rumors continue to spread about what happened that night as law enforcement officials further their investigation.